Oil-tank indicator.



No. 809,542. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

W. TORST, JR,

OIL TANK INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED PEB@ 1905.

UNITED s'rATns I1-grani* orrron.

wILLIAM rouen JR., or SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA, Assrenon or sIivnN- nIGI-Irus 'ro T. J. BRUNDAGE AND ONE-EIGHTH ro nonna'rIrHsRUi-I- DAGE, OF FARMERSVILLE, CALIFORNIA,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, ieee.

- Application filed February 6, 1905. Serial No. 244,515.

To all wil/rmt t 71mg/ concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Tons'r, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at San Pedro, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil-Tank Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of Iny invention is to provide simple and reliable means whereby the exact amount of oil in an oil-tank is at all times indicated without the insertion into the tank or oil therein of sticks or rods usually used to indicate the amount of oil within the tank.' As

- .the crude oil is dark and opaque, a glass indicator-tube would be useless, as the oil when allowed to run through same colors the glass.

' ing a pipe extending from the tank to the of- Therefore glass is not used for this purpose. I accomplish this object by means of the device described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of an oil-tank usually placed on railway-cars having my indicator attached thereto, the indicator being .shown partly in vertical section and partly in elevation. Fig. 2 is an elevation 'of a stationary tank having my indicator connected therewith and an office or station haviice, the indicator proper being placed in the ollice or station. Fig. 3 is a detailed view of electrical means to ring a bell when the oil ,reaches a predetermined elevation.

In the drawings, 1 represents the casing of an oil-tank, such as is used on the trucks of railway-cars for the transportation of petroleum or crude oil, the truck or parts upon which the tank rests not being shown. Se-

'result is that the oil itself cannot be used to indicate in the ordinary glass tubes the elevation' of the oil in the tank, and I have provided means whereby I can use water vice.

- between the casing and the oil-tank.

slightly impregnated with salt, forming brine, giving it greater gravity than oil, so that the brine will seek the bottom and remain there when placed in a `receptacle containing oil. This brine will not color the indicator-glass. IVater without being impregnated with salt would probably ser re 'the pur pose, but I have found that by the insertion of a small quantity of salt it adds to its speciiic gravity and prevents its freezing, rendering brine a goo d liquid to be used in Vmy de- In the practical use of my indicating device the valve, disposed below the bottom of the oil-tank and in communication therewith, is first filled with brineV until Athe ballvalve 4 rises and contacts with the wire screen 5. The wire screen 5 is disposed on a level with the bottom of the tankin the pt ve screen will prevent the ball from rising above the bottom of the tank and passing intothe tank. Now as the tank is being iilled with oil the ball-valve 4, following the level of the brine, will be depressed as the koil rises in the tank. I have shown the oil-level in the tank to be at a point marked 6, and 'the ballvalve 4 will be at the position shown in'l'ull lines in Fig. l. The ratio of travel between 'the valve and thelevel of the oil will depend upon the relative size of the valve'casing and the transparent indicator glass tube 3. If the `valve-casing 2 has a capacity, diametrically considered, six times greater than the glass tube 3the ball-valve will descend one-sixth as far as the level of the oil rises in the tank. The brine or liquid used may be slightly colored, so that the level thereof maybe easily ascertained by looking at the indicator-tube. Now if for any reason there should be a leakage in the glass tube at any point or pipes connected therewith and the brine should bc crowded out thereby the oil will not be permitted to pass below the valve-seat 7, for the reason that yball valve 4, having `greater speciiie gravit I than the oil'and a less specific gravity than t e brine, will follow the level of the brine down in the valve-'casinguntil it rests upon the bottom which forms the valve-.

roo

seat at that point and willlstop the flow of oil and prevent the loss 'of the samer] It will also prevent the oil from passing up into the glass indicator-tubes, diseoloring' the glass l with crude oil.

i t. .ai

tube, which would render it opaque and prevent its use for the urpose desired. Y. y

v It is often desira le in iillmg and rehlling stationary tanks that the amount oi eil in each tank should at all times be known in the adjacent to the Hoor of the ol'lice or station. J

It may be easily seen. As the location in the ofiice where the indicators may be placed may be at a point farv below the location olf the oil in the tank connected. therewith, l have provided means whereby the indicators may be placed in any position without relierence to the elevation of the tanks containing the oil, and this is especially shown in Fig. 2. When the indicator is placed in the oiiice without reference to the attitude ot' the oiltank connected therewith, I place the proper quantity of colored brine in the valve-chamber, permitting it to fill therewith, after which the pro er quantity of a light transparent oilis p aced in the extension-tube 9' above the brine. When. the light oil and brine are in place7 the oil-tank is then iilled This will cause the level oi the light oil to rise in the indieator--tuliie as the crude oil is put into the tank, The top of the crude oil and the light oil in the extension-tube will keep practically on a le vel. .li the indicator-tube 8 has a diametric capacity six times as large as the extension-tubes 9, the brine will rise only one-sixth the distance that the crude oil in the tank and the light oil in the extension-tube rises. Therefore .l am enabled to show the quantity of oil in the tank re ardless of the elevation of the tank above t e indicator.` By using a light oil,

one having a specific gravity equal to the oil in the tank, the oil in the indicator-tube and in the extensiontube will approach approximately a uniform level; but it only brine .is used in the valve and vin the `indicator-tube and in the extension-tube the level ol the oil in the tank and brine in the indicator-tube would ,not be the same, owing to the greater' specific gravity of the brine. 'lo avoid the objection caused. by the diil'erent specilic gravity of these different liquids thereby, l use the light oil in the extension-tube, which will remain ractically on a level with the oil in the tanl. l have shown in Fig. 3 means 'whereby a signal may be given when the level of the liquid in the indicator-tube 3 reaches apredeterniined point therein, as follows: The indicator-tube 2 is cut oll` at the point a little below the desired level o'l the liquid in the stationary tank and is provided with a cap l() on the top thereof. rejectin; through the walls ol this cap, on opposite sir es thereof, are contacts ll and 12, which are insulated from the rwalls of the cap by insulation 13 and 14. Contact l2 is connected by wire i5 with one pole of battery l. The other pole of this battery is connected by lines l. T w ith the signal 18, which in this case is shown as a bell-signal. This signal is connected by line ,i9 with contact l1. A port 20 in the top of the cap permits the air to iiow in and out of the cap as the liquid in tube 3 rises and falls. New when the liquid in tank (i rises to the level of these contacts the liquid tube 3 rises to these contacts and closes the circuit, .thereby causing the bell to rin, thereby notifying the operator' that the tank as il'ull as it is desired to have it filled. llllaving described my invention, what l cla-nn as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent i s-- i 1i. An oil-indicating device comprising a brine-containing valve disposed below the tank containing the oil, brine in said valve; a stopper in said valve having a specific gravity greater than the oil and less than the bi." ie therein; an indicator-tube in communhation with said valve 5 disposed on the outside ot the tank containing the oil and brine in the in dicator-tube. n

2. Means to indicate the level of oil in an oil-tank comprising valve disposed below and comn'iunicating with the oil-tank; a

:live-stopper in said valve havin a speciiie gravity greater than oil and less t an brine; an indicator-tube in communication with said valve and disposedv on the side of the tank containing 'the oil; brine in said valve" and in the .indicating-tube.v

3. In an oil-'ndieator having a valve in the bottom. thereof with a stopper therein of aV specific gravity greater than oil and less than brine and having an indicator-tube in coinmunication therewith located Without` and' beiow the elevation of the tank containing 'the oil and having an extensionprojecting upwardly .from said indicator-tube to a point level with the top of the tank containing the oil 3 brine in said valve and indicator-tube and a light, transparent oil in the extension-pipe i above said indicator-tube.

4. ln a device to indicate the quantity of crude oil in a tank comprising a' valve disposed below the tank and having therein. a valve-stopper`of a specific Agravity'greater than the oil fand less than the brine and hav-l ing also "an indicator-tube communicating IOO IXO

with said valve and having in said indicatorwith the tank l, the indicator-time 3 com- Qf-Jannary, 1905.

the level of crude oilin a tank eomprlsing the In Witness that claim the foregoing l have valve disposed below and communicating heremnt-o subscribed my name this 27th dav muneating with said Valve; a stoppen in TRST, JR. said valve having a specific avity greter l Witnesses: than crude oil endless than fine; brine in VEnMUm AJSTRAUSE, seid valve an'i in sai'd indicator-tube. IYRTLE JONES. 

